


Whumptober 12

by Waywocket



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26965366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waywocket/pseuds/Waywocket
Summary: The Spine was upgraded by the military's best with top secret upgrades they couldn't even share with the Walters. So what happens when he starts to wear down?
Comments: 12
Kudos: 15
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 12

It started off as a tick. Just a little one. A simple twitch of the head. Even he didn’t notice it at first. Then the tick got stronger.

A sudden jerk and he could feel himself tipping over. He had tried to hide it at first. The Spine was a top-heavy robot, after all. If anyone questioned after that, he just laughed and said BeeBop must have been telling the truth. Attenuated hydraulics and a ruptured interscopic gyro capacitor and all that.

They would look concerned, but he would leave before they could remind him those weren’t real. But if he wasn’t worried, they figured they shouldn’t be either. The Spine would tell them if something was really wrong, wouldn’t he? 

And that was enough for a while. Just play it off, don’t let anyone worry. The Spine was a strong robot, he couldn’t break down, surely. Full of military-grade parts and schematics that the family wasn’t allowed to have when he finally came home. He had to be in perfect shape. There was no other option.

He started to worry when the ticks started to affect his core. His core would pulse just off time. At first, it wasn’t so bad, it just felt strange. But it wasn’t long until it made his head start swimming. He would get dizzy and have to stop moving for a moment, waiting for it to pass. And it always did, just a moment, maybe two, and it was like it had never happened. 

But there was nothing for it Spine just kept going. On stage, he still played, but he wouldn’t rock in place or dance if he thought it would happen. Luckily, no one seemed to notice the subtle change when it did happen during a show or practice.

For a while, that worked. That’s all there was. He could manage a few dizzy spells. Just needed to be careful if he fell. Spine could take out walls and floors, after all. If only it had stopped there.

Next came the heat. At first, The Spine was just running a little warm. Uncomfortable, but otherwise, he was totally fine, hardly worth noting. But it didn’t take long until it got worse. Suddenly he would feel like he was being melted down for scrap. He took to wearing undershirts to hide the burnt cloth.

He could hardly keep water in his boiler and spent more time drinking than nearly anything else. It started to affect the show there never seemed to be enough water in his boiler. He was drinking heavily after nearly every song. That’s when things got bad.

“I’m just fine, guys. Just got a little excited at the show and ran my boiler low. I’ll be more careful.”

And he forced himself to cut back when people were around. It was hard. Always tired, always hot. Even if he chewed ice to get his water, it’d melt before it could cool him down enough. He thought about trying to hide in the freezer.

Over time, the heating got worse. Suddenly Spine was powering down, slumping against the walls of the manor. He started avoiding people. No one needed to worry. He just had to wait until he cooled off, and he’d be fine. Everything was going to be just fine, they had to be. He didn’t have a choice.

This went on for months as everyone grew worried. The Spine was seldom around, and they didn’t understand why.

Until Zer0 found him outside the Hall of Wires, on his knees, and powered down. “Tha Spine! Tha Spine, what’s wrong?” He rushed over to help as the lights kicked on in his eyes again.

The Spine struggled to his feet, waving off the help. “It’s alright, Zer0. Just a little tired I guess. I’ll need to power down a little earlier tonight.”

Not good enough, Zer0 still put a hand on his back to help and felt how warm he still was.

“The Spine! You need to head down and get that looked at. You’re super hot! Come on, I’ll go with you!”

Another wave. “Don’t worry so much, Zer0. I’m fine! It’s California, just spent too much time in the sun.” With that, he slipped into the only room with a door and locked it behind him.

Zer0 looked outside. It was dark as rain fell in heavy drops against the window. He worried, but he couldn’t make Spine go down and get help. 

Later, it got worse. Laying in his room Spine's boiler was running dry, and his temperature was rising quickly. He didn’t have enough water to move, he was too worn down and tired. 

After a while, The Spine looked curiously around the room. None of it looked familiar. But he couldn’t focus enough to understand that it was a problem. His memory had fried and left him alone in a room he didn’t know. Couldn’t think about what to do as he ran hotter than ever.

Systems running ragged, they couldn’t cool him off enough. Not at all, as his boiler ran out and wires started to warp and melt. His mind melded together into an indistinguishable lump in his head. A high-grade military machine. One that the government wouldn’t share blueprints on, not even to the people that built him. He couldn’t break down.

When they finally found him, limp and hanging off his bed, The Spine was cold to the touch. But no matter what they did, he wouldn’t power back on again.


End file.
